Gettysburg national park ranger avoid debacle of Valley Forge fines

Give Gettysburg National Military Park rangers — and Gettysburg police — credit for learning the lessons of Valley Forge.

No, we’re not talking about lessons from the Revolutionary War as they might apply to the Gettysburg battle. We’re referring to much more recent history — as in, two weeks ago.

Shortly after our so-called leaders in Washington had their partisan hissy fit and shut down much of the government, John Bell, a 56-year-old Chadds Ford man parked his car at Valley Forge and went for a run.He’s a marathoner, and he wanted to get in some mileage at the national park where Washington and his men spent a miserable winter.

He parked his car at a place where there were no barricades and set off on foot.When he returned, two park rangers were waiting for him. He was fined $100 because the park was closed.

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The fine, piled atop already high citizen disgust over the shutdown, spiked the outrage meter.

And so all eyes were on Gettysburg as the next battle in this war of government stupidity.

It has been shut down like other national parks — frustrating history buffs and tourists hoping to take in the battlefield as the leaves change. Unlike some other states, Pennsylvania has not forked over the money to reopen Gettysburg, Valley Forge and other national park sites.

And the shutdown has understandably angered many people.

Citizens note that they’ve paid for these parks. Vast expanses of the parks are actually open air — fields, forests and public monuments. Why bar people from wandering around them, even if they can’t use restrooms, restaurants and other amenities? What would be the harm?

Obviously, rangers are on duty. Rather than fine people for trespassing on their own public property, rangers could arrest only people who cause problems or damages.

And thus came the rebel invasion last weekend. But unlike original battle, this invasion had a just cause.

Joe Barnhart, a member of the Army National Guard, was fed up with the shutdown and decided to organize a protest march.

On Sunday, he and about 75 other people headed down Baltimore Street and Steinwehr Avenue in Gettysburg and onto national parkland. They headed to the Pennsylvania monument, held up signs protesting the closure and the shutdown, sang the national anthem, then departed.

They were not hindered by rangers or local police.

They exercised their First Amendment rights, despite the park closure.

A similar protest was staged at Valley Forge on Sunday, where runners carried out a “Patriot Run” on roads adjacent to the closed park trails. Like the Gettysburg group, the runners said they were protesting the shutdown without attempt to have a confrontation.

The republic survived — at least until Thursday, when a possible default on federal debts could cause an economic calamity on a scale of the Revolutionary and Civil wars combined.

Unless, of course, our leaders come to their senses, compromise and avoid risking our nation’s security and economy for the sake of partisan gain. Please, call a truce in this political war.